It's Almost Here: the 50th CTI Superbowl

 

Hi everyone!

We are looking forward to our 50th CTI Super Bowl tournament this Friday and Saturday, February 28th and March 1st!

IMPORTANT! Please note: While we do not typically charge a spectator fee at the tournaments, this tournament we are going to collect donations for Brown Big Ministries. Brown Bag is a local non-profit providing assistance for families and veterans. They are in need of new hats, gloves, socks, and underwear for all ages and sizes. If each of our families donated one or more of these items, we would be able to collect a mountain of much-needed cold weather gear for folks in our community. Donation bins will be available when you check-in for the event on Saturday.

Competition and Arrival Times: 

• Demo Practice - Black Belt club members - 5pm on Friday night 
• Black Belts will compete on Friday night at 6 pm.  Spectators are welcome.  
• All other students (white through red) will compete on Saturday. You will find details on your competition time below.  You will need to arrive 30 minutes prior to the start time of your competition to check in, etc.  Some divisions may begin early, so please be at Alameda at your arrival time.  Thank you.  
• Purple, Brown, & Red belts, all ages: 8 am start time, 7.30 am arrival time
• Ages 8 and under; white, yellow, orange, green, blue belts and all tigers: 10.30 am start time, 10 am arrival time
• Ages 9 and up; white, yellow, orange, green, blue belts: 1 pm start time, 12.30 pm arrival time

Location details, parking:

The tournament will be at Alameda International High School which is located at 1255 S Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood, CO 80232.  

Please park in the large parking lot on the southwest corner of Louisiana and Allison St. (There is another parking lot on the northwest corner of Arizona and Allison / north of the tennis courts that can be used for overflow parking).

Please do not double park and/or block someone in.  If both parking lots are full, there is a lot of neighborhood street parking available in the area or you can see if there is room in the main entrance parking lot.  

Checking students in, getting them to their rings, their competitions:

Once you enter, you will be directed to a check-in table.  The check-in will be divided up alphabetically by last name so please proceed to the table marked with the first letter of your last name.

While checking-in, someone will write ring numbers on your hands.  You will have a green number on your right hand and a red number on your left hand.  Once you have your ring numbers, you will head to the upper bleachers of the gym to settle in.  You will be called down to the floor for the group photo and will proceed to the green ring number after the group photo.

Parents of younger students competing at 10.30 am, you will take your student down to the gym floor when called for the group photo.  After the group photo, announcements, etc., black belts will take the students to their correct ring number which will be the GREEN number on their right hand. The ring number will be labeled with big signs. These ring signs are not color coded, so please look to the ring number on your student's hand that is green and disregard the color of the ring sign.  

Once students are settled at their rings, we ask that spectators stay in the upper bleachers and off the gym floor for safety and to provide more room for the competitions.  Please show your students where you will be so they know where to find you.  If you have a very young child (tigers ages 2 - 4) who needs assistance, it is okay if you need to stay nearby on the gym floor.

Tiger students (2-4 and some 5 year olds who attend 30 minutes classes) will compete in two divisions in the same ring and then will be dismissed for the day.  Please come pick them up at the photo podium after their most kicks division.

All other students will compete in poomse first. We ask that parents remain in the upper bleachers during these competitions, please.  After poomse competition ends, students will then go to the RED ring number on their LEFT hand for sparring (school program students will not spar but will compete in Most Kicks instead).

Parents of students ages 7 and under, please come down to the podium to collect your student after their first competition and to help them get to their second.

Students ages 8 and under will be finished with their competitions after sparring.

After your student is done competing in all of their divisions, please come down to the edge of the gym floor to collect them.  Thank you.

Students ages 9 & up will compete in four or five events. Please do not leave until your student has competed in everything (poomse, two sparring divisions, Team Round House Kicking, and then students ages 12 & up will also compete in One-Steps). After sparring divisions conclude, please stay in the gym and listen for their name to be called to their additional divisions and ring numbers.

Etiquette and Uniform:

All students should arrive already dressed out in their uniforms with their belts tied.  Anyone with long hair will need to have it tied back securely.  No jewelry is permitted, and freshly pierced ears need to be covered from front to back with medical tape and/or bandaids.  Students should wear a white crewneck t-shirt beneath their uniform top.  Students should not wear jeans or secondary pants underneath their uniform pants as this will inhibit their ability to kick.

If you have any questions at all, please reach out to your instructor.  We are so proud of all of our students' hard work and preparation, and we look forward to this weekend!  Thank you.

We All Have Potential

By Carina DuLong, Red Belt

Potential is defined as qualities or abilities that may be developed over time to lead to success in the future. These abilities can be physical or mental, and everyone has a different set of strengths that helps them succeed. Some qualities that allow people to have strong potential are the traits we foster in our taekwondo students such as respect, honesty, courtesy, integrity, perseverance, and self control. By developing these important characteristics, anyone can make progress towards their goals and make connections with people who can help them reach their full potential.

Use others as examples

Watching and listening to others who are experts in their fields provides an example to show us what is possible. Whether it’s taekwondo or a different skill, observing and learning from others sets us on the path to greatness. There is so much to learn from those around us and when we have people to look up to, it can provide the necessary motivation and unlock our potential to reach our goals. In taekwondo, we are surrounded by people we can use as role models. Our black belts who have dedicated many years of their lives to mastering Moo Sul Kwan taekwondo are a perfect example. Every one of our new white belts has the potential to become a black belt as long as they pay attention and try their best, but they may need the motivation of seeing what they can become to push them through the difficult parts of the progression through belts. Personally, one of my favorite hobbies is crocheting. I’m good at following directions and am patient enough to follow through with the projects I’m working on, yet observing others lets me realize how much more I can improve. Many people crochet for a living and they have so much practice they can create their pieces without looking and crochet so fast I can’t even tell what’s happening. A key part of maximizing our own potential is realizing what we don’t know, so we can continue to improve.

Be aware of current limitations

No two people have the same set of skills and we all have different strengths that allow us to excel in different areas of life. Therefore, being aware of our own current limitations can help avoid being discouraged and losing motivation. We all have the potential to achieve our goals, but we may have to go about it in a different way or practice certain skills more than someone else. In taekwondo, some people are super flexible and can do the full splits the day they start, while other people may be stiff and can’t even touch their toes. Likewise, the super flexible person may lack power while the stiff person is stronger and quicker. These people may be disheartened that they can’t touch their toes or are told to have more power, but that means they have a goal to work towards. Our instructors point out techniques that need work because they know we have the potential to change and do better. We have an opportunity to confront a challenge and improve rather than a reason to lose hope.

Help others realize their own potential

Helping others realize their own potential is a rewarding part of life. In our taekwondo classes, upper belts and older students strive to be good examples and do the best they can to help the lower belts and younger students. Our black belts use their years of experience to make helpful corrections, allowing us to improve. By upholding strict taekwondo standards, Colorado Taekwondo Institute ensures that these ancient martial arts skills continue to have a positive influence on new generations of students for both self defense and personal development.

How potential pertains to taekwondo

In taekwondo, many people have the goal of reaching black belt and beyond. We focus on practicing skills such as speed, flexibility, and strength along with mental attributes like focus, perseverance, and discipline. Our potential can be nurtured through consistent training, practicing outside of class, pushing past our limits, and setting goals that challenge us. Unlocking our full potential requires dedication and willingness to push through the challenges of the journey while learning from mistakes and building confidence from successes. Practicing taekwondo allows us to improve ourselves mentally and physically and, with the help of others, develop skills we may have never thought possible.

How potential affects life outside of taekwondo

We also increase our potential for success by incorporating the physical, mental, and ethical philosophy of taekwondo into our daily lives. Our teachers encourage us to be the best versions of ourselves, and we know that unenthusiastic performance will not lead to improvement. In our lives outside of taekwondo, we are open to learning new things and sharing our knowledge with others. We are confident that diligence and perseverance will achieve the best results possible. We are trained to maintain a positive mindset and are comfortable being uncomfortable, which increases our potential for greatness, whether it be in our jobs, school, or hobbies.